Lost in Translation

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Janifer, Laurence M.

Contributor:

Schoenherr, John, 1935-2010

Series:

Produced from Analog Science Fact & Fiction August 1961.

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource : multiple file formats

Place of Publication:

Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg,

Summary:

"Lost in Translation" by Laurence M. Janifer is a science fiction novella that was written in the early 1960s. The story explores the complexities and challenges associated with communication and understanding between different species, particularly through the lens of translation and logic. It highlights how literal interpretations can obscure deeper meanings and intentions, especially within a highly rational society. The narrative follows Korvin, who crash-lands on the planet Tr'en and finds himself imprisoned by its highly efficient and logical inhabitants. The Tr'en, unable to grasp concepts outside their rigid understanding of logic and authority, interrogate Korvin to extract the secrets of his home planet, Earth. As Korvin navigates their questioning and misunderstandings about government and individuality, he ultimately utilizes their logical limitations to engineer his escape while reflecting on the profound differences in thinking between the Tr'en and humans. The story serves as a commentary on the significance of cultural context in communication and the potential pitfalls of an overly literal interpretation of language and ideas. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Credits:

Produced by Sankar Viswanathan, Greg Weeks, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net

Notes:

Reading ease score: 77.6 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read.

Release date is 2009-09-19